Four-year project at Glenelg focuses on embracing course’s linksland feel
The first phase of a four-year renovation project is under way at Glenelg Golf Club in Adelaide, Australia.
The plan was developed by Neil Crafter of Crafter + Mogford Golf Strategies in collaboration with Bob Tuohy, a Glenelg life member and former professional golfer, and the club’s project and construction manager Ryan Van Der Veen.
The project involves renovating greens, rebuilding bunkers and replacing the irrigation infrastructure with a new Rainbird IC system. Some design changes will be made to improve playability, and tree and vegetation work will be completed.
The first phase, which covers the second, thirteenth, fourteenth and eighteenth holes, is now under way, following preparatory work on the nineteenth hole and the creation of a new turf nursery, south of the second hole.
Greens will be resurfaced with a new blend of bentgrass, contours will be modified for additional pin positions and agronomic reasons, the sand profile will be refreshed, and new collars will be created to prevent couch encroachment. Six greens will be completely redesigned.
Work on the course’s revetted bunkers will include using artificial turf to enhance their sustainability. A new ‘hybrid’ style of fairway bunkers that combine revetted and natural sand faces will also be developed. Crafter and the project team’s work will see the number of bunkers on the course reduced and the club will introduce a combination of mechanical and manual maintenance practices to improve efficiency.
Crafter’s plan also includes adding more teeing options, reducing the amount of maintained rough, increasing fairway areas for more shotmaking options, and creating sparsely vegetated sandy areas with indigenous plantings to improve pace of play and prevent balls from being lost.
The property’s pine trees and indigenous specimens, such as native pine, will be maintained, while unsuitable tree species will be removed and replaced with local ones.
Image cred: golfcoursearchitecture
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